Lapsset will bring a tsunami, government says; people of Lamu react with shock and dismay

The Lapsset project unrolled, component by component hit local stakeholders like a warning of an impending disaster, a tsunami, without the benefit of disaster relief. FILE  Nation Media Group

By Hadija Bwanaadi

In Summary

• A major concern in Lamu is the lack of transparent mitigation measures against the environmental and social impacts of the project as well as the inadequacy of consultations with the community.
• Perhaps to offset this failure, the Physical Planning Office, Nairobi, organised a workshop in Lamu called “Envisioning Lamu Metropolis.”
• Patrick Waweru from the PPO opened Pandora’s Box. He did not realise that this was our first time to see the Lapsset project unrolled, component by component. It hit local stakeholders like a warning of an impending disaster without the benefit of disaster relief. 

The Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport corridor, known as Lapsset, is a huge infrastructure project that the Kenya government is backing.

The project begins in Lamu, where a new mega-port is planned plus a transport hub including roads, railway and international airport. The plans also include a pipeline and oil-refinery, an industrial complex and a resort city — an ambitious project by any standards.

So far, no licence has been given from the National Environment Management Authority, yet the work has begun. A major concern in Lamu is the lack of transparent mitigation measures against the environmental and social impacts of the project as well as the inadequacy of consultations with the community.

Perhaps to offset this failure, the Physical Planning Office, Nairobi, organised a workshop in Lamu called “Envisioning Lamu Metropolis.”

It was by invitation only, but this is a small town and the word always gets out when something important is going on. There were some, like me, who were willing to face possible rejection so as to gather information about what the national government is planning for our future, i.e. the Lapsset project. Fortunately, they let us in.

The workshop started with a physical planning presentation that outlined the components of Lapsset in Lamu County. It was probably a mistake to start there, though the organisers did not realise it. It was a mistake because we had never been privy to that information before.

Yes, there have been maps published but they were general in nature and excluding some of the Lapsset components. This time, the maps were detailed and exhibited the acreage envisioned and the areas targeted, including the port, oil pipeline and refinery, the highways, railways and international airport, the resort city and the Special Economic Zone.

It was quite a mouthful.

We have been kept in the dark in Lamu. To let you know just how dark that is, let me give some examples.

The oil refinery was initially planned for Lamu, then, the newspapers reported that it would be in Isiolo, then, we heard that there would not be a refinery at all, too expensive and economic partners (read China) wanted the oil raw.

Well, from the presentation in the workshop, the oil refinery is back in the plan and, for better or worse, it is back in Lamu.

We also had many rumours circulating that the resort city was to be on the mainland around Hindi, then, we heard it was planned for Pate, then, we heard it was to be in Mkunumbi. Now, with this latest presentation, there is no one city, rather it is a plan consisting of five components scattered around the county.

There is also the international airport. It was rumoured to be in Hindi and later Mkunumbi — no one knew exactly where.

In the presentation on Lapsset, Patrick Waweru from the Physical Planning Office, Nairobi, revealed the actual size of the planned port.

According to his report, the area covers 28,500 hectares on land and sea. The portion on land, we were told, is 10,000 hectares and sea coverage another 18,500 hectares. Not even the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the port had that information.